Windows Phone 8.1 – Microsoft quietly sends invites for confidential SDK Dev Preview program

Windows Telephone 8.one, the next milestone for Microsoft'south mobile Bone, is rumored to be announced April 2 in San Francisco, California. That'south merely 7 weeks away, putting Microsoft on a tight schedule to line up all of their eggs for the large reveal.

One of those milestones is to open up up the Software Development Kit (SDK) to developers for some initial feedback.Windows Telephone Central has learned that Microsoft is at present inviting a express number of developers, under NDA, to begin early testing of the new 8.i operating system and its SDK.

SDKs are the tools used by developers to design apps for the OS, leveraging new capabilities, including screens resolutions, APIs, or new features similar the previously leaked Activity Center and 'intelligent' notifications. Getting feedback from developers on those tools and any errors helps mitigate any initial launch bugs that may take been overlooked by 'dogfooding' the SDK internally at Microsoft.

Developers who agree to the NDA are of course forbidden to talk nearly the developer program, including even its existence or whether they are a part of it. Even so, we imagine that as Windows Phone viii.1 gets into more than hands, more details of Microsoft's forthcoming Bone will inevitably brand its mode on to the web, similar to this weekend's leak of the Action Center.

In addition to the confidential SDK Preview Program, Windows Phone Central can at present report that the public Developer Preview Program is slated for an Apr 2nd announcement at Build. That program, an extension of the current Update 3 preview, will allow regular users to download the early bits of Windows Phone viii.ane on that day (or that calendar week) to their electric current Windows Phone, bypassing the carrier approval process, which could delay the 8.1 rollout past a few months. While users would get the latest Os, they volition withal be missing whatsoever optimized firmware, which would be updated at a afterwards time.

In response to a media inquiry, Microsoft had the post-obit to say regarding the SDK invites:

"We regularly involve our developer customs in a variety of individual programs. We take zilch to share broadly about our recent programmer outreach."

Finally, Microsoft seems to be ramping up plans for Windows Phone 8.1 in general, including property an NDA coming together with partners at the end of Feb for those who tin can't nourish Mobile Earth Congress. That meeting will characteristic a roadmap session and technical conference on Windows Phone, prepping partners before the expected public announcement in April.

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